The admission of applicants as candidates for the PhD, MSc or combined PhD/MPsychol programs at UNSW is dependent on three key considerations:

1. whether the applicant has the required academic qualifications;
2. whether appropriate research supervision is available for the applicant; and
3. whether the necessary resources are available or can be provided to support the research proposed by the applicant.

For PhD admission, a First Class Honours degree in Psychology from an Australian university, or its equivalent from overseas, is usually required. Applicants who did not gain the equivalent of First Class Honours in their initial degree but who have since demonstrated in other ways (e.g., research experience, publications, or further study at an advanced level) that they have the potential to succeed as a PhD student, may also be accepted. However, such students will normally initially be enrolled in an MSc and upgraded to a PhD within their second year after evaluation of progress.

For the MSc program, an Honours degree in Psychology at the Second Class Division One level, or its equivalent, is the minimum academic qualification for entry.

Entry to the Combined PhD/MPsychol requires an upper First Class Honours degree or equivalent. Applicants being considered for entry to this program will be invited to participate in a selection interview, either in person or by phone, to evaluate suitability for the combined academic and professional demands of the degree and to determine whether an appropriate supervisor is available in the area of the applicant’s research project

Applicants who do not possess an Honours degree in Psychology, or its equivalent, or whose qualifications are unable to be evaluated fully, may be advised to take one of the following programs on the understanding that if they meet the required standard, and if suitable supervision and resources are available, they will then be admitted as postgraduate research students:

1. Bachelor Honours degree
Graduates with a three-year Pass Science degree from an Australian university who have completed the prerequisites in Psychology at a level deemed by the School to be appropriate may enrol in the Fourth Year Bachelor of Science Honours program in Psychology.

2. Graduate Diploma in Psychology
Overseas graduates with good grades in Psychology but who have not done a similar amount of study in this discipline as required for an Honours degree here, may be enrolled in a one-year full-time program designed to equip them with the basic competencies and skills assumed in postgraduate research students. This will normally include a supervised empirical study carried out in the same area as proposed for their postgraduate research project, as well as prescribed courses.

3. Higher Degree Qualifying
Students who do not meet the criteria for admission to undertake an Honours program may be enrolled in a Higher Degree Qualifying program. This program will consist of a specified course of study and/or supervised research, and will indicate the standard of performance required in order to progress to the postgraduate stage.